— SUBMISSIONS NOW IN PROGRESS —
FINDING THE INTELLIGENT TREES
O.D.D. stands for Other Dimensional Discussion and our choice to use “INTELLIGENT TREES” as a focal point in our story, come from both universal thoughts on “Existence” and the astrophysical concept that “we live in a forest.” Thoughts on the astrophysical are from the Lyman Alpha Forest studies. For more info on that, check out this link. For purposes of our developing story, we are searching the Earth for 19 trees. Perhaps you can help us locate them. These trees are the granddaughters of the first Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and have been in charge of the trials, testing and probation of sentient beings on earth. They are able to hide and can exist in a number of invisible states. Most hide in plain sight and now, as the time for Revelation approaches, they absolutely want and need to be identified for the next phase of existence.
The FIRST Crossing in our developing Creative Game Encounter is Finding the INTELLIGENT TREES.
“Our Roots Run Deep” — Dominique Fils-Aimé
We are looking for Trees in three (3) Creative Categories:
ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, & POETRY
EXPO LEVEL 1
Find your Idea of an Intelligent Tree
— Draw or Paint It — Photograph It — Write a Poem about It
YOUR FIRST ENTRY IS FREE
Thanks to ARTITUDE, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Arts Organization
Anyone over the age of 13 from anywhere in the World can Enter!
ART
1st Place – $111
2nd Place – $77
3rd Place – $33
PHOTOGRAPHY
1st Place – $111
2nd Place – $77
3rd Place – $33
POETRY
1st Place – $111
2nd Place – $77
3rd Place – $33
SUBMIT LEVEL 1
ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & POETRY at this Portal
EXPO GUIDELINES
- Anyone over the age of 13 from anywhere in the world can enter
- All poetry entries must be in English
- Poems should be a minimum of 7 lines and maximum of 25 lines of text
- Each submitted Poem must have the Word “TREE or TREES” woven into its language.
- All entries must be the work of the person submitting
- All submissions grant ZO non-exclusive permission to use entries in perpetuity
- Copyright to the original submission work will remain the property of its author
- DIGITAL SUBMISSION ONLY through “Submittable”
ONLY YOUR FIRST ENTRY IS FREE
Submit Additional ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & POETRY at this Portal
ENTER AS MANY SUBMISSIONS AS YOU LIKE AND ENTER AS OFTEN AS YOU LIKE. ADDITIONAL ENTRIES ARE $5 EACH
Entry Fees help with costs for the Expo and support our mission to broaden positive artistic communications between diverse people around the world. THANK YOU for your additional submissions!
EVERYONE ENTERING THE EXPO IS SUBJECT TO THE PARAMETERS WRITTEN HEREIN. ALL ENTERING AGREE TO THESE PARAMETERS UPON SUBMISSION OF THEIR ENTRY. PLEASE READ.
THANKS A MILLION
TO ARTITUDE FOR SPONSORING FREE ENTRIES TO ALL OF OUR EXPOS!
Everyone at ZO is a Student of the Universe. We love mysteries, we love contemplation on what this incredible “Life” is meant to be. This O.D.D. Room Micro Series is a part of a very expansive film script. There are 25 Books each containing many Chapters. We intend to begin to film these and hope to join with other “Students of the Universe” in discussing, thinking about and admiring our wonderful universe . . .
Time may be relative – and that is a very complex discussion. In our film we have proposed that “Time is an Illusion.” That may or may not be true, but for sure, Time is helpful in organizing how we live and how we relate to others. Outside of that there is a lot of room for contemplation.
The O.D.D. Room intends to full explore these thoughts. We invite you to join us!
Trees really do communicate and, yes, there is evidence that trees exhibit some levels of intelligent behavior. Although the question of whether plants are intelligent is still debated, academics, experts and many researchers acknowledge and agree that trees communicate with each other and can help each other.
♦ Trees can make memories and recall them through learned responses. For example, a mimosa plant that was dropped 60 times stopped folding its leaves after the drops.
♦ Trees can exhibit problem-solving behaviors.
♦ Trees can “hear” sounds in their environment and react to them. For example, sounds can cause trees to produce more nectar, grow towards water, or release toxins.
♦ Trees can form symbiotic unions with fungi to absorb nutrients from the soil.
♦ Trees store memories of past events in their tree rings and in the DNA of their seeds.
♦ Trees can tell time by noticing the increasing amount of darkness each day as the seasons change.
Do you know what mycelium is?
A mycelium may be minute, forming a colony that is too small to see, or may grow to span thousands of acres as in Armillaria.
The mycelium or mycorrhiza is a fungus that expands below the soil, creating a network of connections between all plant species. It is our planet’s natural Matrix and allows these organic entities to not only communicate, but to “collaborate” – taking care of, protecting, and feeding themselves and others in addition to stocking up on water. When a tree is cut down in the forest, this mycelium communicates to the rest of the trees that one of them is dying, and the others, through the mycelium, begin to take care of the remaining trunk to try to save that life. They feed it, give it water and protect its life source. This is true community and seemingly without a leader, without direction, without any set of rules, the whole forest rallies because that dying trunk is part of the forest family. [1]
[1] Composed from thoughts and writings from the compendium of Human Knowledge now accumulating by simply “searching.“
The ART & PHOTOGRAPHY below is now in contention for Awards in our Expo. We will add to these submissions between now and the deadline for the Expo, which is now September 12, 2026. Per the Parameters of the Expo, we need 100 submissions in each category before we are able to make awards. ZO has orchestrated these creative Expos since our launch in 2014. Each year, our exciting Expos easily garnered 300+ entries over the course of submissions. Something in the world changed in 2020 (when Covid hit). Entries since then have trickled in far slower, so we had to initiate the 100 submission criteria and run the Expo until we get that.
During the term of the Expo, content is assessed and rated by a diverse group of evaluators who compile a blind tier of submissions to be forwarded to Expo Judges. Our rating system goes from 1 to 10, with 1 being a least favorite choice and 10 being a favorite. Our final Judges will rate the top 13 blinded submissions with numerical ratings. These numerical ratings will then be averaged, and winners are chosen based on these mathematical calculations.
For that reason, the submissions below have numbers, rather than names. Submitters of course will recognize their entry, but Judges and the general public will not. Please do not republicize your work if it is among these contenders. Names of creators are listed in alphabetical order below the pictured entries (which are numbered). As stated in our Parameters, all copyright to submitted material remain with the author.
“Back To Eden” — Rutt
— CLICK PHOTOS FOR LARGER PICTURE —
ART — Intelligent Trees Developing Finalists . . .
Art above is the work of the Artists below
(The names of the Artists represented are listed below in alphabetical order. Their art above is in random order so that judging will remain “blind.”)
Aaron Krone — Alaina Hammond — Cynthia Yatchman — Delaney Accomando — Denver Boxleitner — DeVondre Woodard — Georgios Merianos — Jack Bordnick — Jaya Rajagopalan — Josh Stein — Lorelei Rubik — Nicholas Zgraggen — Peggy Rothbaum — Ronald Walker
PHOTOGRAPHY — Intelligent Trees Developing Finalists . . .
Photography above is the work of the photographers listed below in alphabetical order . . .
(Order does not correspond to depicted photo)
Brendan Praniewicz — Donna Faulkner
There are 4 Levels for Creative Submissions
[Blue Links Below]
THE O.D.D. ROOM EXPO
INFO
THE O.D.D. ROOM FILM
INFO
THE O.D.D. ROOM CHRONICLES — MUSIC TO PONDER TIME BY AT THIS LINK